Greetings
Good evening
Shubho shondha
SHOO-bhoh SHAWN-dhah
About this phrase
Why it works
Shubho shondha pairs shubho, 'auspicious/good') with shondha, 'evening'). It is a courteous, somewhat formal calque of 'good evening': common in writing and formal greetings, less so in offhand chat.
Literally
auspicious evening
When to use it
A polite, time-specific evening greeting used from dusk onward, especially in formal settings, first meetings, and broadcast or written contexts. In casual speech Bengalis more often just say kemon achhen? (how are you?) rather than a time-of-day greeting.
How it feels
Warm and courteous; slightly formal or literary in flavor.
Formality
Neutral
Grammar
Word by word
The full explanation
A two-word noun phrase with no verb, simply an adjective modifying a time-of-day noun.
shubho: adjective, 'auspicious, good, blessed'; the standard well-wishing word (also in shubho jonmodin, 'happy birthday').
shondha: noun, 'evening, dusk'; the period from sunset into early night.
Examples
In a conversation
Guest
Shubho shondha, aste deri hoye gelo
Good evening, I ended up arriving late
Host
Shubho shondha, bhetore ashun
Good evening, please come inside
Common replies
Shubho shondha
Good evening (in reply)
Apnakeo shubho shondha
Good evening to you too